Bomb thrower



F. L. N|CHOLS.. some THROWER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9. I918.

Patentgd Oqt. 14,1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. NICHOLS, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL MUNITIONS CO. INC. OF DELAWARE.

BOMB-THROWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 14, 1919.

Application filed December 9, 1918. Serial No. 265,889.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. NIcHoLs, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing in the city of Stamford, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bomb-Throwers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel means of utilizing the ordinary service rifle cartridge for propelling a missile of larger slze.

The intent and purpose of such a propo sition is to minimize the number of explosive munitions and at the same time increase and amplify the military purposes of same.

I embody in my present invention the idea of projecting a bomb weighing from, say, 24 to 30 ounces by employing the explosive forces of the cartridge used in the ordinary United States rifle.

In carrying the said invention 1nto eifect the salvage in the firing unit, to wit, the service cartridge is considerable as w1 ll be seen, inasmuch as the missile, that is to say, the bullet of the cartridge is not used as such, but is imprisoned and locked from movement, when my improved instrument functions.

In engineering this proposition also I have instituted another form of salvage arising from the fact that I utilize, wherever possible, discarded rifle locks and mechanisms cutting the old instrument off at the proper sections and uniting therewith at both ends the novel features indicated herein the whole, constituting when assembled'a very effective bomb thrower.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification,

Figure 1 represents a top view of the bomb thrower.

' Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a detail view to a larger scale. Fig. 4 shows the appearance of the cartridgeafter it has been withdrawn from the rifle lock. V In these drawings 10 represents the central portion of the regular U. S. army rifle, with trigger 11, channel 12 for firing pin and cartridge shell withdrawing pin 12. I will not particularly describe this portion of the mechanism as it is well known in the art, suflice it to say that from the point 13 to the point 14: with all the parts inclusive, are the same as the service rifle, it being my intent and purpose, as hereinbefore stated, to use the locks and contiguous parts of rifles that have been damaged from one cause or another; this constitutes a salvage and is of value from an economic stand point.

At the point 13 I provide a screw thread 15 into which intermeshes the thread 16 of the stock 17 which latter may be of any desired construction; as I have engineered it herein this form is suitable, by means of its end or base piece 18, for bracing the implement against the ground or a trench wall or any other convenient support when the implement is to be employed.

As before stated the ordinary rifle lock case is cut off at the point 14: screwed on to this at 19 is a casing 20 enlarged at its outer end 21 and having attached to it, as by a screw joint 22, the major bore 23 0f the implement; the bomb 24. is shown in place, that is to say, in firing position in said major bore.

It will be noted that below the bomb and between it and the inner end of the major bore 23 is a chamber 25 which is further inwardly continued by the smaller chamber 26; the chambers 25 and 26 combine and constitute the explosive or expanding cham her for the gases of the functioned cartridge 27, which I will now proceed to describe:

This cartridge is shown as stated at 27 and is the ordinary service cartridge of the army rifle of the United States.

As employed by me, it is not used in the ordinary way, as the bullet 28 remains after the cartridge is functioned in the sealed chamber of the casing 29, which casing is fitted into the casing 20 and forms, when the parts are assembled, a close-fitting and interlocked member therefor.

I will now proceed to describe how I utilize the explosive nature of the cartridge in my particular way; at the points 30 and 31 I efi'ect openings between the chamber 26 and the cartridge containing casing by boring through the walls of the chamber 26 as well as through'the wall of the casing 29. It will be seen that when the cartridge is in operative position in the minor missile bore the bullet of the cartridge is to the fore of the openings or ports 30, 31 and that the walls of the explosive containing shell of the cartridge cover and close the said openings or ports, and that when the explosive charge of the cartridge functions that portion of the walls of the cartridge which register with said openings or ports will be sheared, see Fig. 4, and that thereupon the explosive gases will effect a assage through the openings 30 and 31 into the chamber 26. These parts are shown to a larger scale in Fig. 3 and in Fig. 4 I show the cartridge after it has been used. As above illustrated, the effect of the operation of the hereinbefore described devices and also the amount of salvage involved as the result is shown.

It will be observed that the passages 30, 31 open out from the casing 29 at right angles, also they enter the chamber 26 at right angles: this arrangement makes the shearing action of the explosive container to be a clean-cut operatlon.

32 are temporary means of entrance for the boring tool to properly en ineer the openings 30 and 31 which are so sequently closed by blocks as shown.

In this manner and by these means I am enabled to throw a bomb weighing from 24 to 30 ounces much farther with a service cartridge than can be secured by any other known implement.

As will be seen the casing 29 is practically a continuation of the rifle bore and bore containing the minor missile namely, the service cartridge and that it is sealed and closed at its outer end. It will also be observed that the riflebor'e, or minor bore, in which the cartridge, or minor missile functions, is arranged in parallel relation with the bore of the major missile. These cartridges are loaded the same as a regulation rifle and the used cartridge or cartridges, are withdrawn in the same manner. This part of the implement is not changed in any manner whatsoever and therefore, as before stated, need not herein be particularly described.

It will be observed, however, that I employ the regulation firing pin channel 12 and withdraw devices 12.

The success of the propellant force in this bomb thrower is due to the fact that the powder of the propellant, being confined in the cartridge case for an infinitesimal period after ignition, becomes released in a state of full combustion, and the pressure required to burst through the walls of the cartridge case is approximately two to three hundred per cent. greater than the pressure ordinarily required to move the bullet from the cartridge case when used in arifle. In the ordinary service rifle the bullet becomes detached from the cartridge case immediately upon the ignition of said cartridge, the propellin'g force in said primer, in itself, being sufficient to start the bullet in movement; the powder thereupon is projected into the rifle bore in a free and separated state and thereby allowed to burn throughout the area of the rifle bore rendering an incomplete initial ignition of the propelling charge which, due to the length of the rifle bore, gradually increases to a certain propelling pressure, but not soon enough to utilize the full length of the shot travel for its highest velocity. On the contrary in my present invention, the bullet being withheld and prevented from any movement due to the ignition of the primer alone, the powder charge in the explosive container becomes fully ignited before it has reached sufiicient pressure to shear out through the side walls of its metal case, in other words to burst through the metal container: thereupon the propellantis released into the major bore in a fully ignited state and the maximum pressure is instantly applied to the projectile, thus resulting in a high increase of range. It will be seen that the ordinary service cartridge 27 is herein utilized with great felicity as it cooperates with the present desire to establish a uniformity of munition as well as to reduce the variety of units but I do not limit myself necessarily in this respect but may employ any other suitable firing unit having an explosive container which will respond to the conditions of my herein described and claimed implement. I may, in carrying my invention into effect employ one, two or more openings or exits 3031 for the explosive gases, the sole object in this respect being to secure a snug fit between the wall of the container and the wall of the explosive unit chamber so that when the gases break through and shear the wall of the container the ed es of the sheared openings will be sharp an clean cut and will exactly register with the exits 3031, such construction will facilitate the withdrawal of the salvaged cartridge.

It will also be seen that when the powder charge of the explosive container functions, the explosive gases are conducted exclusively through the exits 3031 as the outer end of the minor missile bore or explosive unit chamber is permanently closed: in this way the entire virtue of the explosive gases is utilized.

Having thus described my invention the following is what I claim as new and useful therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a munition organization, the combination of a major missile bore, a cartridge chamber, a passage connecting the bore and the chamber, a service cartridge positioned in the chamber, whereby the side wall of the cartridge at said passage way is sheared when the powder charge functions.

2. In a munition organization, the combination of a major missile, a major missile bore, a gas expansion chamber at the base of the missile, a minor bore permanently closed at its outer end, an explosive unit completely filling the minor bore, a passage conneecting this bore with the expansion chamber, and means for functioning the explosive unit.

3. In a munition organization, an imperforate or missile, a service cartridge, means in said organization for projecting the major missile by exploding the powder charge of the cartridge, and means for retaining the bullet and the cartridge case in an unmoved position.

4-. In a munition organization, an imperforate major missile and bore therefor, a cartridge containing an expelling charge, means for functioning and shearing the cartridge laterally, and means for utilizing the resultant explosion for propelling the major missile.

5. In a munition organization, the combination of a major missile and bore, an explosive unit chamber permanently closed at its outer end, an explosive unit completely filling the said chamber, and means for utilizing the powder charge in the explosive unit for expelling the major missile.

G. In a munition organization, the combination of a major missile, a service eartridge, means for utilizing the powder charge in the cartridge for expelling the major missile, and means for extracting and recovering the cartridge shell and bullet after functioning and as a single unit.

7. In a munition organization, a bomb and a bore therefor, an explosive unit, means for confining the gases of the explosive unit within the original container until the explosive is fully ignited and of shearing the wall of the container when so ignited, and means for instantly applying the resultant pressure of this delayed expansion to the base of the bomb.

8. In a munition organization the combination of a bomb, a bore therefor, an explosive unit, means for confining the gases of the explosive unit within the original container until the explosive is fully ignited and of shearing the wall of the container when so ignited, and means, consisting of a right angle passage, for conveying the resultant pressure of this delayed expansion to the base of the bomb.

9. In a munition organization, the combination of a major missile bore, a major missile, a cartridge chamber, a cartridge container having a powder charge, means for functioning same, and means for shearing the wall of the container and utilizing the explosion of its powder charge, said means consisting of a right angle passage connecting the major missile bore and the cartridge chamber.

10. A munition organization, embodying major and minor bores, a port opening out of the minor bore, a chamber extending therefrom to the base of the major bore, an explosive unit positioned in the minor bore the walls of which unit are so disposed as to close the aforesaid port, and means for functioning said unit whereby that part of said walls which register with said port are sheared and access for the explosive gases of the said unit to the base of the major bore is provided.

11. A munition organization, embodying major and minor missile bores, a service cartridge, a port opening out of the minor missile bore at the rear of the bullet or missile of the cartridge but opposite the walls of the cartridge, a chamber extending from said port to the base of the major bore, means for functioning the cartridge whereby that part of said walls which register with said port are sheared and access for the explosive gases of said cartridge to the base of the major bore is provided.

FRANK L. NICHOLS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

